Sex Differences in the Epidemiology, Risk Factors, and Prognosis of Malignant Ventricular Arrhythmias in Sepsis Patients

Abstract

Background: Women are frequently underrepresented in clinical trials and databases focusing on ventricular arrhythmias (VAs). However, understanding sex-based differences in risk factors and the prognosis of VAs is essential for tailoring personalized prevention and treatment strategies. This study aimed to investigate sex differences in the epidemiology, risk factors, and prognosis of VAs in patients with sepsis. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive analysis of 27,139 sepsis patients (mean [SD] age, 66.6 [16.2] years; 15,626 [57.6%] male), among whom 1136 (4.2%) developed VAs during their hospitalization. We evaluated VAs incidence and potential risk elements in both male and female patients, along with in-hospital mortality. Results: Men had a significantly higher likelihood of developing VAs compared to women (odds ratio [OR]: 1.70, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.50–1.94, p < 0.001). In the case of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM), the association with VAs was stronger in men than in women (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 1.63, 95% CI: 1.10–2.40, interaction p = 0.014). Furthermore, we observed significant sex-specific interactions in the relationship between incident VAs, congestive heart failure (CHF) (RRR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.03–1.76, interaction p = 0.031), and pneumonia (RRR = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.02–1.74, interaction p = 0.036) when considering the adjusted model. The presence of VAs was associated with a nearly twofold increase in the risk of in-hospital mortality, a result that was observed in both sexes. Conclusions: In sepsis patients, the emergence of VAs independently escalates the risk of in-hospital mortality, with a notable correlation between male sex and an increased VAs risk. The impacts of CHF, NICM and pneumonia on incident VAs were significantly influenced by sex.

Keywords

• ventricular arrhythmias
• epidemiology
• risk factor
• outcome
• sex